This artwork is not available to buy as a custom printThis artwork is not available to buy as a custom print

About this artwork

This linocut design was made to be reproduced as wrapping paper. From the late 1950s, Bawden increasingly used linocuts instead of drawings in his graphic work. As a straightforward and cost-effective method of printing, Bawden found linocuts to be the most suitable way to make repeating patterns for wallpaper or wrapping paper as one printing block could produce many shapes. In this bold and distinctly Scottish design, the green checked lines reflect the tartan pattern on the piper’s kilt. Despite the simplification of the piper, he retains individuality and character.

Edward Bawden

Edward Bawden

Edward Bawden’s best-known works are his commissions produced for Curwen Press in Plaistow, London. These include posters for the London Underground and book illustrations. As a graphic designer and illustrator, linocuts were an important part of his work, however he was also a printmaker and painter of landscapes in watercolour,…